Oversize Expectations for the Airbus A380

Since it started flying commercially seven years ago, the A380 has caught the imagination of travelers. Its two full-length decks total 6,000 square feet, 50 percent more than the original jumbo jet, the Boeing 747. Its wingspan barely fits inside a football field. Its four engines take this 560-ton airplane to a cruising altitude of 39,000 feet in less than 15 minutes, a surprisingly smooth ascent for such a bulky plane. Passengers love it because it’s quiet and more reminiscent of a cruise ship than an airplane.

I didn’t know that the airplane has been plagued with so many problems. When we flew up to Iceland for a trip (via London) we sat on the A380 and it was just so smooth and quiet. Easily the best flight we’d ever taken.

Here’s hoping that they manage to find their market and not go the way of the Concorde.